The first time I joined Weight Watchers was sometime around 1995. The program then was called “Fat & Fiber”. If I remember correctly, totals for each day could not exceed 30 grams of fat, and had to include 25 grams of fiber. I’m pretty sure there were also requirements for number of glasses of water a day, number of servings of dairy, protein, breads, and fruits/veggies.

I really liked the Fat & Fiber plan. The current Weight Watchers Momentum plan, while encouraging participants to choose “filling foods” at are often high in fiber and low in fat, doesn’t require actually tracking either of those.

I feel so much better when I eat a high fiber diet. Food moves through my system faster, so I don’t have days where my stomach is bloated. I can tell when I’ve been slipping and not getting enough fiber, because my stomach gets, like, hard and sticks out. It feels awful and looks worse.

So, at the grocery store and at restaurants, I’ve been trying to make higher-fiber choices. For restaurants, I use Dotti’s Weight Loss Zone‘s Restaurants database, which is unbelievably comprehensive and constantly updated.  I really don’t feel like cooking tonight, and there’s a Wendy’s nearby, so I looked them up on DWLZ and found a great meal that is low POINTS and high in fiber:

Small Chili [8 oz] (220 cal/6 g fat/5 g fiber/23 g carbs)   = 4 POINTS

Sour Cream & Chives Baked Potato [Potato w/Reduced Fat Sour Cream & Chives] (320 cal/4 g fat/7 g fiber/63 g carbs) =  5.5 POINTS

That’s a whopping 12 GRAMS of fiber and only 10 grams of fat.  Surprisingly, a medium fries at Wendy’s has 5 grams of fiber, but also 440 calories and 21 grams of fat, so it’s 9.5 POINTS just for fries!

So, small chili and sour cream & chives baked potato for me for dinner tonight. What are you having?

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